Wireless communications are widely used for transmission of signals including data, text, sound and video. Particularly, WIFI is a local area wireless networking technology allowing devices to connect to a network, commonly using 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) and 5 gigahertz ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) radio bands. A WIFI wireless local area network (WLAN) operates based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards. Various devices, e.g., personal computers, game consoles, smart phones, digital cameras, and tablet computers, use WIFI to connect to network resource (e.g., the Internet) via wireless network access points (also referred to as hotspots). An access point typically has an indoor range of 20 meters and an even greater outdoor range.
Connection to a WIFI network can be interfered or disrupted by other WIFI networks in nearby regions. For example, many 2.4 GHz access points operate on the same default channel on initial setup. Excessive number of access points, operating on the neighboring channel in the same area, can prevent access and interfere with other devices' use of other access points.
The number of wireless WIFI access points deployed increases every year. Both corporate entities and private families deploy wireless LANs. Typically there is no coordination between the wireless LAN networks during the planning and deployment stages. Therefore, devices within a wireless LAN network can experience interferences generated by devices of other wireless LAN networks. The interference problem becomes even more prominent when the WIFI access points have better signal ranges and can cover outdoor areas.